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‘WhatsApp Plus’ subscription launching soon with new features

WhatsApp is planning to launch a new ‘WhatsApp Plus’ paid subscription soon, and it just went live in the app’s Android beta ahead of an iOS rollout. Here are the details.

WhatsApp Plus available for select beta testers at about $2.99/month

Meta has growing ambitions to pull in subscription revenue from its massive user base, and WhatsApp is a part of those plans.

Earlier this year, reporting indicated that Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp were all getting paid subscription tiers soon. We saw the first tests of an Instagram paid tier last month, and now WhatsApp appears next.

WABetaInfo reported today that premium features tied to a new ‘WhatsApp Plus’ paid subscription have gone live for some users in the latest Android app beta.

This rollout is just a test right now, but the expectation is for a broader launch across iOS, Mac, and all other platforms.

Here are the new features included in WhatsApp Plus, per a screenshot:

  • Send premium stickers
  • Change your app’s theme
  • Choose a custom app icon
  • Pin extra chats
  • Get premium ringtones
  • Upgrade your chat lists

Top comment by Mearns Mumbler

Liked by 5 people

I only use WhatsApp when absolutely necessary - a few groups, set up by others, to which I’ve been added. There’s also a family member who hasn’t grasped that their iPhone has built-in apps that do what they need to do - they even use WhatsApp for voice calls. Ironically, that person is paranoid about security and ID theft.

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Currently the pricing is set at about $2.99/month—one example from a European user showed €2.49 per month.

You can read full details about the WhatsApp Plus features in WABetaInfo’s post here.

No announcements have been made yet around official release timing, but today’s reveal gives us a good idea of what to expect from WhatsApp’s new subscription when it does formally launch.

Are you interested in subscribing to WhatsApp Plus? Let us know in the comments.

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Avatar for Ryan Christoffel Ryan Christoffel

Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.